Setmoth

The Demon Setmoth is the final challenge in Quarterstaff. Even the Druid Council at the height of its power wasn’t able to kill him, but they want you to try anyway. With the exception of the Granite Statue, Setmoth is by far the toughest enemy in the game. He has high HP and does an incredible amount of damage (plus the damage isn’t subject to the standard Blunt or Sharp Resistances)!

Although I have not been able to verify the phenomenon, it appears that Setmoth begins the game with very few HP (maybe just one), and slowly heals himself up to his max of around 300HP. If you manage to get to him very quickly (in the 200-300 turn range), you will be able to fight him still injured. For example, when I got to Setmoth at round 119, he had only 70HP (and didn’t even realize I was attacking him until he was dead)!

More than likely, however, you’ll encounter Setmoth fully restored by the time you reach him, so be prepared for the toughest fight yet. Although he’s got far fewer HP than the Granite Statue, he hits MUCH harder. Setmoth actually has two types of attacks, both very powerful. The more dangerous of the two is his bare hands (they’re claws), because they do large amounts of Electricity damage (and there are no Electricity Resistance items in the game). The second type is when he wields his Two Handed Sword, and does Cold damage. Eventually, Setmoth will wield the sword, but until he does all you can do is drink healing potions nearly constantly. Once he switches to his weapon (it sometimes takes longer than it takes to kill him, unfortunately) Cold Resistance items like the Resist Cold Ring, the Mithral Helmet, and the Wool Cloak are very useful.

Setmoth begins inside his Tomb, a cramped space only able to fit five other characters (too few for your full party). Like many opponents, it takes Setmoth a turn or two to figure out that you’re attacking him, and so some people suggest charging into the Tomb with as many as fit and attacking him immediately. A few turns later, however, Setmoth will leave the Tomb, possibly bringing the fight to the lone character left outside. Another thing to think about is that Setmoth is actually much less dangerous once he starts wielding his Two Handed Sword, and giving him some time to wield it can be really nice.

Here has been my strategy:

Pre-Fight:

Make sure everyone in the party has full HP. Sleep if necessary.

Make Bruno the party leader. He has an innate 10% Cold Resistance along with 200 HP, making him the best choice.

Equip Bruno with the Mithral Helmet, the Resist Cold Ring, and the Wool Cloak. Each provide extra Cold Resistance in the event that Setmoth starts using his Cold-inflicting Two Handed Sword.

Equip the best weapons you can on all party members. Sandra’s Rod of Life is a good choice if you have a character without a decent weapon. They won’t be able to do any damage, but they can attack Bruno and keep his HP high. If you do use the Rod of Life, make sure that your party leader isn’t wearing any Sharp Resistance items as they will reduce the healing from the Rod.

Give Bruno as many healing potions as you can. He’ll probably need to drink one almost every round once Setmoth gets in a couple hard hits.

The Fight:

There are two alternate strategies for fighting Setmoth:

Strategy #1: Immediate attack – Have Bruno lead the party into the Tomb as soon as you open it. Some party members will be stuck outside (only five can fit in). Attack immediately with the five, following Setmoth out of the Tomb when he leaves. Have the other party members rejoin the group and keep attacking. This strategy takes advantage of the fact that it takes Setmoth a round or two to realize he’s being attacked, but it means that it is very unlikely he will wield his Two Handed Sword for quite a while.

Strategy #2: Delayed attack – After opening the Tomb, have the party wait until Setmoth emerges from the Tomb, and then attack him with everyone. This strategy takes advantage of the fact that Setmoth is more likely to switch to his Two Handed Sword sooner, but it means he will start attacking as soon as your party does.